‘You People, You’re the Stars!’

I had a Llewellyn Sinclair moment (except I was sincere) when a top magazine editor friend and reader of this blog e-mailed this to me just now:

“Your commenters are really spectacularly good.”

That made me feel great about this blog, so, thank you, my spectacularly good commenters. I am going to inaugurate a new award, the Evans-Manning Prize, for especially good comments, like Edward Hamilton’s earlier today about social networking and success. It’s named after two of this blog’s best and most longstanding commenters, Franklin Evans and Erin Manning, who could hardly be more unalike religiously, but who are both models of intelligence, balance, thoughtfulness and civility.

I heard a few months ago from a Washington friend who told me that a prominent DC editor he spoke to at a party also remarked on what a great comments section this blog had. Again, hats off to all of you. But perhaps this might shed some light on what an editor (in this case, me), can do to make this happen. I can’t make you write smart things, but I can make this a forum where people who do write smart things find it easier to be heard, and to hear others.

Back when I first started blogging on Beliefnet, in 2006, I had no control over the comments threads. It was a wild west where everyone had equal voice. Very quickly I found that commenters with the loudest mouths — who usually had the least intelligent or interesting comments — drove out the better commenters. It was impossible to sustain any kind of engaging conversation, because too many people who had no interest in a conversation were yelling, and yelling provocative things at everybody else. Bnet eventually gave me control over the comments section, and I began ruthlessly weeding the thing. Over time — and I’m talking about a couple of years — the loudmouths quit coming around, because they learned that they wouldn’t get posted, or, when I figured out that they were posting under a pseudonym, I’d take down everything they’d written. It was a lot of work, but I believed, and still believe, that a good blogger also tends his comments section, as much as he is able.

I find now that I don’t often have to trash a comment from a regular, or ban anybody, because if you keep coming around, you know the rules (mainly, no personal insults, and stick to the topic). My tendency is to let folks march right up to the line — I don’t like not posting things — but I’m pleased with the quality of discussion we have here, and the diversity of perspectives, so I try to keep a tight rein on what goes up. This morning it was jarring to see comments on an old thread pop up, denouncing “libtards.” The old post had been picked up by a more ideological right-wing site, whose commenters came over here and filed comments in their usual style. I did not post them. Similarly, when ideological left-wing sites link to something here, I’ll get the same sort of remarks from left-liberal commentators. They usually don’t go up either.

The bottom line is that I want to have a comments section that’s worth reading. I almost never read the comments sections of other blogs, because invective dominates most of them. I’d be interested to hear from you about how you think I could improve the comments section here, though. Sometimes I’ll post something that seemed iffy, but okay, and then I’ll regret having done so.

Anyway, once more: thanks, readers, for making this such a good site to read, and such a pleasure to edit.

UPDATE: Let me put it like this — when I curate the comments section, I always have at the back of my mind the kind of conversation I would want to have take place in my living room, over beer. If you say things I wouldn’t be comfortable with you saying in my living room — which is not to say things I agree with, or would say myself! — then I’m probably not going to let you say them in the comments thread. I try to be consistent with this principle, but I’m not always able to be. Sorry.

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41 Responses to ‘You People, You’re the Stars!’

Rod, I want to thank you for creating this space. I’m a left-wing liberal type, but I love coming here and reading the conservative POV without having to read comment nastiness. I was overjoyed to find you again. 🙂

This is my first comment, but I appreciate the compliment 🙂
I very much like your blog, it has a certain joie de vivre to it. And the conservatisme here is of a sensible and reasonable kind. Keep up the good work!

Always a sucker for a Simpsons reference! Anyway, all of the TAC blogs are practically the only place I feel comfortable participating in a comments section for the very reason you elaborate. I appreciate the recognition from an author I’ve always enjoyed and have yet to know on any kind of direct if not personal level.

That’s all kinds of not fair, Rod. I mean really, those corrupt and greedy Philadelphia city fathers who over time stole my name and put it on many things here without offering me royalties: a bridge, a parkway, several buildings, a bleeping science museum… and their only excuse is some Benjamin guy they think had my name first. Now you come along and take my only remaining name and use it on a prize for erudition and civility. Sheesh.

If I had a dollar for every time this happened… I’d have enough dollars to buy you a few rounds of your favorite craft beer and remind you that a good man attracts good people, and you are one of the best.

I truly wondered if I should post to this thread. Then I realized that a good word is never to be taken lightly. I offer you this bit of wisdom from the fiction of Spider Robinson, another good man whose imagination fosters still the gathering of people who, like those who post here, value personal connections with each other while in the pursuit of truth and understanding. I am humbly pleased that my name should be associated with this.

Too true. I was thinking of the blogs that I read on a daily basis (there are three), and what unites them is their awesomeness is not just the quality of the posts and the likemindedness of the author, but the intelligence oozing out of the comment threads.

It’s a weird thing, this crazy modern world we live in. I was talking to a buddy of mine–a professor of philosophy. He says that he’s come to a better understanding on a host of philosophical topics simply by reading good blogs with intelligent readers. That’s true for me as well.

Who says that the internets is just for LOL Cats?
Btw, LOL Cats is awesome.

This is one of the very, very few places in the blogosphere where divergent voices are heard and accepted – and where the issues warrant the space given to them. Almost from day one this blog became a must-read favorite of mine, and I thank you for it.

Rod,
In general I am very big fan of your writing and the way you edit the comment section. But, you asked for comments on how to improve, so take this as constructive criticism. Occasionally, especially on issues that are politically hot potatoes, you will define the issue so narrowly as to essentially close off all opposing viewpoints. I understand the desire to keep people sticking to the topic at hand, but sometimes I feel that becomes overly restrictive. That being said, it’s a mild criticism of an occasional practice at best. There’s a reason I come here though you and I rarely agree completely.

While I appreciate a well governed comments section; I find your comment section much worse than previous owing to the inadequacy of the TAC commenting plug-in.

The delay between comment and post has made interactions among your commenters awkward and much less engaging. This seems to favor some of your more common posters who post without regard to the flow of conversation.

That link is to a specific post on the topic of blog comments and moderation of same. Those folks quite literally wrote the book on the subject, and the secret is as simple as Rod shares here: it’s my living room and you don’t throw beer around.

It makes for great community, great conversation, and a great read almost every day.

And, I have to say, I smile broadly every time I read a post from (your servant) Lord Karth.

One technical feature on Making Light has proved indispensable: the “View all (comments) by” button, which allows you to instantly see all comments by a particular author. This provides unimpeachable accountability, and an easy way to follow up a particular commenter’s line of thought – really useful for tracking someone’s fuller thinking, for whatever reason.

wow – this is another example of why this blog seems so unique to me. And congrats to Erin and Franklin – well named!

I agree too that adding your voice to the comments makes this a great place. But you know – what makes this blog such a winner for me is – how many places can you find on the net where one can read interesting social and political commentary plus odes to the joys of great food? Although I must admit I miss your commentary on wines – haven’t done any lately.

Suffice it to say, Rod, and the rest of you fellow commentors, I was delighted to find that a Dreher blog had resurfaced somewhere after its long hiatus. I missed it, and all of you. It’s a very good thing that it’s back. 🙂

I wish there were a way to follow the comments without having to keep coming back over and over again. I wish there were a better way of commenting/replying to what someone else has posted. or that there were a way to be notified when someone replies to what I’ve posted.

I too echo the previous posters who commend Rod for his participation in the comments. I would read Rod even if he were a flaming liberal — oops — did I mean a flagrant liberal? Like most of the regulars here, I thought that the intellectual drought we endured during his time in the Desert of Brotherly Love would never be quenched. So I too welcome him back to the fray.

As to the attribution of the award, I applaud it with enthusiam. There are few other commenters whom I look for more than Franklin and Erin. Though may I admit to having felt a transient twinge of regret it was not called the Cosimano Cup? 😉

Thanks, Rod, for your intellectual breadth and depth, your pregnant wit, your unfailing civility, your humane spirit, not to mention your always welcome foodie posts. I’m on the way to the kitchen for Brie and Beaujolais.

Last month you ran a piece on millennial thinking. I noticed a mistake in the first paragraph. I pointed that out. I was called “graceless,” but my point was that, because of the mistake, I couldn’t follow what was being argued because I couldn’t tell whom you were quoting. I stopped reading. If you alienate a reader in the first paragraph–whether with “sexist” language, sesquipedalianism, bad style, or typos or other errors–that’s just not good writing (or editing).

In any case, I proceeded to point out another (still uncorrected) error: the misspelling of “millenium” [sic: read “millennium”]. I try not to be a typo-nazi, but this particular error, as Stephen Jay Gould pointed out, radically changes the meaning of the word: from “a thousand years” to “a thousand orifices” (although I used slightly coarser language). Unfortunately, you wouldn’t publish that correction, and a good mnemonic device was not shared with your readership.

For me, that kind of censorship is a radical disincentive to commenting.

Not that they’ll remember me, even under my old Belief.Net handle (Susan F), but I’m almost embarrassed to say how happy that reading Rod still keeps me in the company of Franklin Evans, Roland de Chanson, Erin, CelticDC, jaybird, Another Believer, Hector and many of the old crew. I remember when Turmarion was a newbie!
There’s only one other blog with regular commenters as good as Rod’s, and I’m not tellin’.

I’ve been commenting on the Internet for several years now. At the top of my list for a consistent,fair and well rounded comments section is TAC. I always look forward to viewing your articles as soon as I boot up my computer. If anything, the articles by you and Pat challenge the intellect. I can now see why less and less people get their information from the Main Stream Media and instead search out sites like yours. I look forward to more of the articles presented by TAC in the future.

As others have noted, I appreciate the ability to read varied political opinions without the vitriol so prevalent on the Internet. Nice to see you honored, Rod. I too was tickled to see you resurface on TAC after your hiatus from blogging. Cheers!

As a longtime reader of Rod’s blogs (from the original Crunchy Cons days on NRO) but very infrequent commenter, I can only add my thanks to Rod and the regulars for making this one of the best corners of the Internet. I’d be hard-pressed to name another site where I’ve learned so much from not only the blogger, but the commenters as well. Thanks for the many years of enlightment, and many more to come!

But for realsy, Rod should consider doing blognics like a certain Catholic priest blogger I know. He’ll be soon going on a book tour, right? He should set up meet and drinks at local crunchy saloons in whatever city he’s doing a thing.

Sometimes teachers will take their disruptive students to another room where the kids are working well and say, “Look! THIS is how you are supposed to behave!” If only we could somehow get the commenters from The Blaze to come over here and see how proper discussions are held.

This is the only blog I comment on regularly, the reasons for which have been ably described above. Add my voice to the chorus of those thanking you, Rod, for doing such a great job with the curating.

I can’t think of a better name for the award, either. Franklin and Erin, even when I disagree with you, your comments are consistently thoughtful, humane and eloquent.

Also, add me to the list of those requesting a better commenting system, to include, responses directly below the comment being responded to, and a way to correct minor (or major) errors before publishing.

Charles: Where else do you find folks managing to be civil to each other who in other circumstances would probably murder each other?

At the $1 million Texas Hold-em tournament table?

Judith, it stops being painful after a while. I know, I was just passing on to you wisdom I learned for other fellow travelers.

I come here to meet people. Not all of them turn out to be interesting — cue “your mileage may vary” cliche — but with that Spider Robinson quote comes my personal peeve about internet forums: the human connection just doesn’t have even an adequate substitute. Rod’s discussion threads come closest of any (but one) I’ve ever seen.

I love the Evans-Manning thing! I look forward to their comments, as well as many others. One thing that stands out about those two is that they both make me think when I disagree with them — their arguements are not easily dismissed. I can and do disagree sometimes, but I have to futher explore the whys and wherefors of my own opinion to do so. And when all is said and done, I understand a little better where someone who thinks differently than me is coming from and I have more respect for that POV.

Of course when I agree either of with them, I often find myself giggling with delight and so glad to find such capable writers speaking my mind.

One more thing — my wish for the comment box is a “like” button for individual comments. (But NOT a dislike button. I think if you disagree enough to register your disagreement, you should have to take the time to say why and state your own veiw.)

I’ve been on all the various incarnations of Rod’s blog ever since his Beliefnet days. I’m happy to be here and have learned quite a bit that I never would have otherwise; and I’m proud and happy to have contributed in my own small way to the ongoing conversation. Mnogaya leta!